Ever morning I take the subway to 47-50th Street, Rockefeller Center. From there, it is a short 5 minute walk to work. I generally get in the office around 10 am, which in New York City is still part of rush hour.

This morning, I was going towards the stairs as usual, and I noticed that everyone was moving to the right side of the staircase. This is a bit unusual in the morning; typically in the morning rush, every bit of staircase is used. When I got to the stairs, I saw that a man was sitting on the staircase with his head between his legs. I placed my hand on his shoulder and asked, “Are you okay? Do you need help?”

It turns out that he had just sat down and nodded off. The man said, “No thanks, I’m fine,” got up, and hopped in the waiting D train. This was not at all shocking to me; many people work hard, and it is easy to fall asleep when you are tired.

What was a bit surprising was that at least fifty people passed this man before I did. Was I the only person who asked if he was okay?